Disaster Assistance Improvement and Decentralization Act

Increased Funding for State Mitigation: The President may award financial assistance to States and Indian tribal governments to fund State hazard mitigation offices, with amounts being at least 1 percent of total financial assistance (Section 101).

Support for Low-Capacity Jurisdictions: The President may increase the percentage contributed towards hazard mitigation measures to up to 85 percent for jurisdictions facing structural barriers like limited staffing or fiscal resources (Section s 102, Section 2).

Improved Disaster Recovery Speed: The bill allows for more advance assistance, increasing the percentage from 25 percent to 50 percent for hazard mitigation (Section 103).

Local Training Opportunities: Upon request, the President shall conduct intensive training for jurisdictions to explain the process of receiving resources, financial assistance, and required documentation (Section 202).

Financial Relief via Advance Assistance: For certain projects, the President may provide up to 75 percent of the estimated cost before costs are even incurred (Section 202).

Technical Assistance for Local Planning: The Administrator may establish a program to assign FEMA employees to provide technical assistance or fund additional employees to help low-capacity jurisdictions with project scoping and damage documentation (Section 203).

Simplified Project Procedures: The bill establishes a process where the President may make contributions based on the actual costs incurred for certain eligible projects (Section 204).

Critical Facility Restoration: The Administrator shall approve funding to restore critical facilities, such as those providing power, water, or medical care, at a new location if they sustain significant damage (Section 301).

Tax Relief for Disaster Workers: Federal disaster relief workers traveling on behalf of the United States in temporary duty status for more than a year may be eligible for a deduction for traveling expenses (Section 304).

Increased Financial Burdens for Small Jurisdictions: While not explicitly labeled as a burden, the bill requires grantees receiving advance assistance to provide a methodology to ensure safeguards against waste, fraud, and abuse (Section 202).

Risk of Cost Overruns: Under the simplified procedures, the ability to receive contributions may not apply if the cost of a project exceeds the estimate due to poor management, fraud, or waste (Section 204).